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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25445833">After the Party</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/minflim/pseuds/secretgardenfan'>secretgardenfan (minflim)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Secret Garden (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:21:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,593</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25445833</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/minflim/pseuds/secretgardenfan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The rest of Joo-won and Ra-Im's fairytale evening (a.k.a. that time when Cinderella didn't leave the ball alone). Missing scenes post-LOEL VVIP party in episode 13. Canon-compliant.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Joo-Won/Gil Ra-Im</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>After the Party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They stay at the party until it ends, which is well past 2am. As the last guests trickle towards the exit, Ra-Im finds herself at a banquet table in the corner of the room, lazily sipping champagne in the company of Oska and Yoon Seul. She looks around wistfully at the glittering fairy lights and the now-empty buffet tables with their gleaming silver candlesticks. Her gaze alights briefly on Joo-won, who stands at the doorway bidding farewell to his guests. The whole evening seems like a dream, a fragile, precious fantasy that’s too wonderful to last. She’s never known happiness like this, so intense that it feels almost painful. Ra-Im bites her lip and toys idly with the stem of her champagne flute, trying to ignore the sudden clenching in her chest. <em>This must be how Cinderella felt when the ball was over, </em>she thinks to herself.</p>
<p>Some of this disquiet must show on her face, because Seul suddenly reaches over and squeezes her arm gently. “Don’t think about it,” Seul advises, her cultured voice friendly. “Just focus on the present.”</p>
<p>Ra-Im smiles tremulously at the other woman, grateful for her kindness. She remembers how Seul smoothly intervened, dragging away that well-groomed bitch angling after Joo-won. For some unfathomable reason, Seul seems to be on their side. In response, Ra-Im gently rests her other hand on Seul’s and squeezes it back, the way she would with a close friend like Ah-yeong. “Thank you, Yoon Seul-ssi,” she murmurs. “For what you did earlier.”</p>
<p>Seul smiles then, a warm, full smile that reaches her eyes, and Ra-Im is struck by how her entire face lights up. Seul looks like a completely different person when she smiles, a far cry from her usual haughty, distant self. Out of the corner of her eye, Ra-Im observes with amusement that Oska seems captivated by Seul’s smile, staring at her with an expression of thinly disguised longing. She decides to help him out a bit. “How are you getting home, Yoon Seul-ssi?” she asks nonchalantly. “It’s quite late.”</p>
<p>Seul opens her mouth to speak, but Oska jumps in before she can. “I’ll take you,” he tells Seul abruptly. “You’ve been drinking, and it’s not safe at this time of night.”</p>
<p>Seul looks at him and raises an eyebrow. “You’ve been drinking too,” she observes coolly. She picks up her champagne flute and takes a delicate sip, re-crossing her legs and subtly angling her body away from Oska. Ra-Im watches her in admiration, realising Seul has somehow managed to put the ball squarely back in Oska’s court without giving the slightest indication of whether she will actually say yes. <em>This woman is as cool as a cucumber, </em>Ra-Im reflects ruefully.<em> I have to learn from her. This must be how she gets the men hooked. </em></p>
<p>Oska looks flustered and leans forward to protest, but at that moment, a shadow falls over their table, and all three of them look up. It’s Joo-won, and the sight of him looking so strikingly handsome in his black tuxedo makes Ra-Im’s mouth suddenly go dry. He’s looking only at her, something intense and undefinable in his gaze. She looks down and fidgets nervously with the clasp of her clutch, not knowing what to do next.</p>
<p>“Ra-Im, let’s go,” she hears Joo-won say, the quiet authority in his smooth voice making her insides quiver like jelly. She doesn’t protest when he reaches for her hand and tugs her upright, or when he puts his other hand on her waist to steady her against his body when she teeters a bit in her high heels. “Have a good night,” he tells Oska and Seul smoothly, and Ra-Im winces inwardly with embarrassment at the identical knowing looks on their faces. She bows awkwardly to them, avoiding their eyes, then turns to leave with Joo-won. As they walk away, she hears Seul say quietly to Oska, “Fine, just this once, you can take me home. But you’d better not leave me by the expressway again, or you’ll be dead.”</p>
<p>Joo-won steers them both out, manoeuvring her expertly around the scattered banquet chairs, towering floral arrangements, and the army of LOEL employees starting to pack everything up. His staff bow low as they pass by, and Ra-Im feels her face flush when she sees the sideways glances that they give her. Joo-won’s hand rests possessively on her hip, keeping her close against his side. He’s making it clear to everyone in the room that they’re leaving the party together, and Ra-Im tries not to think too hard about the implications of this signal. Just like the kiss from earlier, she gathers that Joo-won is showing her that he’s serious about making their relationship public. That he’s openly acknowledging what she means to him. The realisation makes her stomach twist with a combination of joy and fear.</p>
<p>They pause at the cloakroom, and Joo-won retrieves the black faux fur wrap that Oska’s stylist loaned her. He tucks it securely around her body, nudging the fur collar up around her neck, and she shivers a little at the brush of his warm fingertips against her skin. Joo-won notices, and he frowns in concern. “Will you be cold?” he asks gently. “It’s just a short walk.”</p>
<p>Ra-Im glances at him quizzically. “A short walk? Where to? Aren’t you taking me home?”</p>
<p>Joo-won’s lips curl up in a mischievous smile, and he tugs lightly at the ends of her collar. “My house, of course. Surely you didn’t think you were going home tonight.”</p>
<p>Ra-Im blinks. <em>His house? </em>Before she can protest, she hears Joo-won say airily, “Oh, I see Secretary Kim. Wait a moment for me, Ra-Im-ah. I need to give him some instructions.” He points a teasing finger at her. “Don’t move.”</p>
<p>Ra-Im bites her lip, trying to silence the renewed flutters in her stomach. The combination of the champagne, Joo-won’s kisses, and the atmosphere of the party are making it difficult for her to think straight. <em>His house… That means I’ll have to stay over… </em>She thinks of the night they spent together at Bisong Resort, the hungry look in his eyes and the hard warmth of his body against hers. He hadn’t even kissed her then, and she’d already felt the tantalising burn of desire creeping under the skin. After the way he’d kissed her tonight, his mouth moving slowly and deliciously against hers, the insistent pressure of his tongue flirting against her lips… Ra-Im shivers again, feeling her cheeks flush hotly. She doesn’t want to think about what would happen next if Joo-won kisses her like that again tonight, in his bed.</p>
<p>Joo-won chooses that moment to reappear and Ra-Im starts guiltily, hoping her expression won’t betray the fact that she’s just been fantasising about his kisses. Thankfully he doesn’t seem to notice, catching her hand and tucking it into the crook of his arm. She curls her fingers tightly around his elbow, and they set off in the direction of his house. As the crisp winter air hits her in the face, Ra-Im realises she’s already implicitly agreed to stay the rest of the night with him. Her body has made the decision for her, snuggling against his side and matching him step for step as their footsteps crunch on the snowy gravel path.</p>
<p>-------</p>
<p>The house is already warm when they get there – one of the housekeepers must have turned the heating on. Ra-Im gratefully kicks off her heels, padding barefoot into the living room. She shrugs out of the fur wrap and sprawls on the sofa, revelling in the enveloping warmth and pleased by the sudden realisation that they’re finally alone again, away from the prying eyes of the party guests and his employees. She beams at Joo-won over her shoulder, impulsively patting the empty space on the couch next to her.</p>
<p>Joo-won looks up from the doorway, where he’s still meticulously scraping the traces of snow off the soles of his shoes. When he sees Ra-Im’s smile, he puts the scraper away and comes over to her. His gaze travels over the slim length of her body, the ruched fabric of her black mini-dress clinging to her curves and offering an inky contrast against the smooth white leather of the sofa. Ra-Im sees the sudden flare of heat in his eyes, a moment before he sits down next to her and cups his hand around the back of her head, bringing her lips to his in a single fluid motion. The long, dreamy kisses begin again, his mouth shaping and shifting against hers with tantalising pressure. There’s no doubt that Joo-won is an expert kisser, gently courting her lips with a persistence that steals her breath away. Ra-Im kisses him back, timidly at first then with increasing urgency as his tongue snakes into her mouth to brush silkily against hers.</p>
<p>This time, no one is watching them, and she dares to slide her arms up around his neck to hold him closer, her fingers curling into his hair. Joo-won makes a muffled sound of pleasure at her touch and his hands slide down her body, pulling her into his lap. She’s straddling him now, the hem of her dress riding up high on her thighs, clasped firmly against the heat of his body, and it feels so good that she rocks instinctively against him, her toes curling at the sensation. The kiss turns wilder, Joo-won licking hungrily into her mouth, and Ra-Im whimpers at the sensory overload. She feels drunk on his kisses and the champagne, and the urge to feel his skin against hers becomes almost overwhelming. She tugs urgently at his shirt, pulling it out from the waistband of his trousers and sliding her hands beneath, pressing them flat against the warm muscled skin of his stomach.</p>
<p>Joo-won gasps and breaks the kiss abruptly, grabbing her hands to still them. They’re both panting, and she sees the hunger in his hooded eyes. Ra-Im rests her head heavily against his chest, smiling a little when she hears the rapid pounding of his heartbeat under her ear. “Do you still want me to stay?” she whispers weakly into the fabric of his shirt.</p>
<p>She feels the vibrations of his chuckle against her cheek. “You’re dangerous, Ra-Im-ie,” she hears Joo-won say ruefully. He strokes down the line of her back, but only lightly with his fingertips, as if he’s afraid to touch her too much. They stay like that for a while, until she hears his heartbeat calm and they’re both breathing relatively normally again. She raises her head and looks up at him inquiringly, waiting for him to make the next move. Joo-won cocks his head at her in response and nods towards the stairs. “Go and wash up,” he murmurs, stroking a thumb gently over her cheek. “We’ll just sleep tonight.” He smirks at her then, his eyes dancing. “Unless you’re ready for more.” The hand on her waist slides down to squeeze her bottom suggestively.</p>
<p>Ra-Im narrows her eyes at him and scrambles off his lap. She feels the heat of Joo-won’s gaze on her body, and hurriedly tugs down her dress to cover her exposed legs. Not that this really helps, seeing as the hem only stops somewhere mid-thigh. “Stop being a pervert,” she tells him repressively. When he only shrugs mockingly, she sticks her tongue out at him and dashes up the stairs to the bathroom, her cheeks on fire. </p>
<p>-------</p>
<p>When Ra-Im emerges from the bathroom, she finds Joo-won sitting at the edge of the bed, waiting for her. He’s shed his dinner jacket and undone the buttons of his tailored shirt, and her heart skips a beat at the tantalising glimpse of his bare chest. Joo-won looks at her, taking in her damp hair and the pyjama shirt and shorts she’d rummaged out of his closet, which hang loosely on her smaller frame. His eyes widen when he realises that she’s wearing his clothes. She sees a momentary flicker of joyous disbelief in his expression – almost as if he can’t believe that she’s really there – which he hides quickly by raising an amused eyebrow. “Are you stealing my clothes now?” he quips playfully, reaching for her.</p>
<p>Ra-Im smiles, letting him pull her close so she’s standing between his legs. She rests her elbows on his shoulders, leaning her body weight against him. She knows Joo-won well enough now to realise that there’s more to him than his smooth-talking playboy façade, knows him well enough to see the vulnerabilities that he seldom reveals to others. She turns her head so she can speak into his ear. “Maybe I’m trying to steal your heart instead,” she whispers, so softly she’s not sure he can hear her.</p>
<p>Joo-won seems to hear it, though, from the sharp intake of breath and the way his body stiffens slightly against her. He’s silent for a moment, as if thinking what to say in response, then his hands slide up over her hips to her waist, holding her tightly against him. “You don’t need to, Ra-Im-ah,” he murmurs, his voice low. “You already have it.” He rests his head gently against her belly, breathing in the clean, warm scent of her. “Thank you for coming to me tonight,” he says humbly. “I was going crazy all day, trying to reach you.”</p>
<p>Ra-Im hears the slight tremor in his voice, and brushes a gentle hand over his head in a silent apology. She lets him hold her and strokes his hair, filtering the silky strands through her fingers, giving them both the comfort and assurance that they need after the events of recent days. <em>This is a much better end to the evening than what Cinderella had, </em>she thinks, allowing herself a small inward smile.  </p>
<p>-------</p>
<p>When Ra-Im opens her eyes the next morning, sunlight is streaming in from the skylight in the bathroom. She’s alone in the huge bed, the blankets tucked up high around her shoulders. She smiles dreamily, recalling the feeling of falling asleep in Joo-won’s arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Just like the night at Bisong Resort, she’d felt cherished and protected, in a way that she hasn’t felt since she was a young girl being petted to sleep by her father. She stretches with a yawn, wondering where Joo-won is.</p>
<p>She’s surprised to find him downstairs in the kitchen, frying something that looks like… pancakes? He’s pouring blobs of batter into the pan, frowning with intense concentration as he shapes each pancake into perfect circles. Joo-won starts when he notices her standing right next to him, then smirks lazily, snaking his free arm around her and dropping a light kiss on the top of her head. She snuggles against his side, watching the pancake batter sizzle and turn a pleasing golden brown in the frying pan. “I didn’t know you could cook,” Ra-Im says, her voice laced with amusement. </p>
<p>She hears the shrug in Joo-won’s voice. “There’s not much I can’t do, actually,” he replies smoothly. She elbows him in the ribs, and he nudges her back. “Go make yourself useful and set the table,” he instructs, turning his attention back to the pancake. He flips it over easily with a spatula, and she can see it’s perfectly cooked, smooth and shiny with a golden lattice pattern in the centre.</p>
<p>They devour the stack of pancakes in record time, dousing them with Joo-won’s supply of air-flown Canadian maple syrup and organic French butter. Ra-Im reflects wryly that one of the big benefits of dating an insanely rich man is the unrestricted access to large amounts of expensive and quality food. Between the buffet at last night’s VVIP party and this breakfast, she’s been eating like a queen. “Where did you learn to make these?” she asks him, chewing on a morsel of pancake and savouring the delicious combination of sweet and savoury textures that unravels in her mouth. “They don’t taste like the kind they serve in cafes.”</p>
<p>Joo-won gives her a superior look. “That’s because these are <em>American</em> pancakes. I got the recipe from my landlady when I was studying in New York.” He waggles his fork at her. “Trust me, you can’t find pancakes like these in Korea, other than at my house.”</p>
<p>Ra-Im laughs, but the mention of America intrigues her. Having never travelled out of Korea, she has only ever associated the USA with the manufacture of Coca-Cola and Hollywood action movies. It seems incredible to think of Joo-won living and studying there as a university student, probably at about the same time that she began waitressing at internet cafes in downtown Seoul when she was in high school. “What was it like?” she asks Joo-won curiously. “Studying in America.”</p>
<p>Joo-won pauses mid-bite, and she sees that he’s surprised by her question. Ra-Im inwardly rolls her eyes, realising that most people in his circle of acquaintances probably studied overseas. Most likely they all also own private jets and zip over to exotic locales like Paris or the Maldives for the weekend. “It was fun,” Joo-won says slowly in response, as if it isn’t something that he’s thought about for a long while. “It was good to be away from my family and the LOEL store and all the expectations that I grew up with. People are very different over there. They think differently and behave differently. It felt like freedom, in a way.” He smiles wistfully then, his gaze distant, and Ra-Im can tell he’s recalling a fond memory. He focuses back on her. “Have you ever been?”</p>
<p>“To the States?” Ra-Im chuckles with disbelief. “No, the furthest I’ve ever travelled is Jeju Island. I used to go there with my dad once a year during the summer, and I went surfing a couple of times with my school friends when I was older. But ever since I started doing stunts, I’ve always wanted to go to America and see Hollywood.” Her eyes sparkle unconsciously at the thought, and she grins. “Maybe even see them film some stunts live.”</p>
<p>Joo-won smiles at her, and that look is back in his eyes, the intense one that makes her stomach flip with a combination of fear and anticipation. He reaches out and strokes her hair in that unexpected way that he has, the sudden tenderness in the gesture catching her off-guard. “We’ll go, someday,” he says, his words sounding like a promise. “I’ll take you, and you can show them all how action stunts are really done.” He winks at her.</p>
<p>Ra-Im nods and gives him a shy smile, realising that her innocent intention to find out a bit more about Joo-won’s past has somehow led to them making serious plans for a hypothetical future together. It feels good, something small yet concrete that she can start to hope for. But it still feels like too much, too soon, and she attempts to change the subject to something more light-hearted. “I notice that you’re quite an early riser,” she says, taking a sip of the coffee Joo-won made for her. It turns out he also has a full suite of expensive coffee equipment that any barista would kill to have, tucked away in a corner of his kitchen. She raises her eyebrows at him. “You were up before me, both today and the morning at the resort.”</p>
<p>Joo-won raises his eyebrows back. “I don’t see the point of staying too long in bed,” he informs her archly. He gives her a bland glance. “Unless it’s for a certain activity.”</p>
<p>Ra-Im laughs out loud, surprised by his outrageous innuendoes. Joo-won is the first man to have ever flirted openly with her like this, and she finds that likes it. After years of being treated by the action school boys as a sister and a comrade, it secretly pleases her to know that Joo-won sees her differently. She decides to tease him back, glancing up at him from under her lashes. “Oh, you mean reading?” she asks innocently. In response to Joo-won’s dirty look, she crosses her arms over her chest and says, mock-defensively, “For your information, I like reading in bed! These few weeks, I’ve been reading <em>Alice in Wonderland </em>every night before sleeping.”</p>
<p>Joo-won rolls his eyes, amused. “Seriously, woman, how are you so adorable?” Before she can respond, he stands up and leans over her, tugging her chin forward and brushing a swift kiss against her lips, just like he did in the café after teasing her about the milk foam. It’s not a deep, hungry kiss like the ones from last night, but Ra-Im still feels a shiver go down her spine as she feels him lightly lick away the traces of maple syrup at the corners of her mouth. She looks up at him, her eyes wide. Her heart is suddenly racing from a dozen different feelings that she can’t name.  </p>
<p>Joo-won smiles down at her. “Spend the day with me,” he says coaxingly. “It’s the weekend.”</p>
<p>Ra-Im swallows, looking down at her empty plate. She has a sudden vision of mornings like this, where they kiss and eat breakfast and laugh and do a million mundane little things, together. She wants that future with him, so badly she almost doesn’t dare to hope. But it’s time for her to start believing in it, and to take tiny baby steps towards making it a reality.</p>
<p>Ra-Im looks up at Joo-won and nods, an answering smile spreading across her face. “Okay.”</p>
<p>Fairy-tale endings have to start somewhere, after all.</p>
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